The Other Side of Darkness
by Mallon Schwarz
Summary: Peace had been won... or so they thought. With the arrival of a new enemy comes a retelling of their past, and the Scouts find the Silver Millennium might have been an era of pain rather than prosperity.
1. Chapter 1

This idea has been in the works for a long while.

Summary: Peace had been won... or so they thought. With the arrival of a new enemy comes a retelling of their past, and the Scouts find the Silver Millennium might have been an era of pain rather than prosperity. ScoutsOC's and DarienSerena

I own nothing except my OC's.

* * *

**The Other Side of Darkness**

**Chapter One**

The world was beginning to fall from grace, he had said, and it had finally become time to put it in its' place and give the souls infecting its surface their rightful places in the rings of Hell. He was bitter, and he was broken, and the utter betrayal in his heart was enough for him to bring a cursed darkness upon the hapless inhabitants of the Earth. She was given the ultimate task of leading the souls to death and eternal torment, and Lillith was glad of it. To serve her master was to serve her passions.

However, she had watched as former demons had attempted to make their mark on the world in the years prior, and their lack of success was attributed to one object. This one object, a gem of pure life and love, had driven back their evil cohorts in droves. It was too beautiful and too powerful. If they did not acquire it, and destroy it, there was no way they could succeed. The god's powers were in that rock, their unrelenting power. They had to get it. It was the only way.

Before her stood four young men, or as better named by the Book of Revelation, the four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Not the ones talked about in the Earth Bible per say, but she modeled them after the bringers of darkness. While on the outside their bodies appeared to be that of men in their early twenties, their souls were ancient. Darkness was their hearts, but it was almost wrenching that they used to be something else, something greater. While Lillith knew what they used to be, the Horsemen did not, and they followed her orders despite something telling them not to give in. Lillith smiled on them.

The leader of the group was War, a taller man who had a red sword strapped to his waist and red armor on his body. He was the advocator of conflict and bloodshed, the instigator of all things extreme. His hair was black and hung in his eyes, ones that suggested a great wealth of unbudgeted wisdom lurked behind them, and he wore no smile on his face. War was a man of great solitude and unbound cruelty. Yet, out of the Horseman, he was the only one who had a notion that perhaps he was something more than an agent of darkness.

The second in command was Famine, the most crafty of the entourage. This young man was shrouded in black, but long, brown hair tumbled around his shoulders. In his hands were a pair of scales. He was the instrument of deprivation. He found solace in offering life and taking it away. Famine thought the human race deserved to suffer for the things they had done. His heart was cold and his constitution malicious. Famine was openly evil, taking great pride in his work. But, perhaps he did not notice, even he found the smallest sympathies whilst harming those he had a hard time finding fault with. It was a tiny spark of emotion, but it was there nonetheless.

The third Horseman was mysterious indeed, a man by the name of Pestilence. His brown hair was cropped short and on his back was a bow and arrow. Robes of white covered him. He was the most intelligent and he used his intelligence to create ways to better torture the humans on Earth. He was slow in his executions, and they were dreadfully painful. Some regarded Pestilence as the most fearful Horseman, and most would be right. While Pestilence did not have a conscious regret for his actions, Pestilence did find enjoyment in curing his illnesses as he did in creating them, perhaps suggesting that he did have a heart, somewhere.

The last of the Horseman was Death, the most confusing of them all. Despite popular characterizations, Death was actually quite the opposite of dark and loathsome. His hair was blonde, and his demeanor contained two sides, one of frightening proportions and the other of carelessness. These two personalities often conflicted, appearing at the most inconvenient of times. In his hand he held a scythe and on his person a set of pale robes. Out of each of the Horseman, Death was the only one who worried Lillith, because his other side was visible. His other self could be seen with the eyes.

She nodded her head, and without words the four Horsemen all disappeared. A moment after that, a mysterious illness befell Tokyo.

* * *

It was like any other day for the blonde heroine, the champion of Justice, Sailor Moon. Serena Tsukino, as her civilian self was dubbed, was not failing her characterization of being habitually tardy and ran to school, plowing through the crowds in hopes she would make it to class on time. Her two pigtails were flying about, her blue skirt was billowing behind her, and in short, there was hardly a moment that Serena did not look like a mess. She was running so fast she never noticed the people leaning on buildings and sitting on benches, holding themselves and coughing up blood. All others be damned, she thought, there was no way she was going to be late _again_ and get detention _again_.

The world never stopped for her. She kept running and running, swinging her book bag furiously as she ran. It never ceased to amaze her comrades that she was still always tardy, despite it being her senior year in high school. By the time she arrived at the schools entrance, Serena was red in the face. However, this was a journey often made, and Serena knew she still had a few feet to her actual classroom. Her anxiousness kept her from noticing the barren hallways and empty classrooms she passed. The only things she happened to notice were her three friends, all of which waited for her at the entrance to their math classroom.

"What? Is it a holiday?" She peeked into the classroom, afterwards putting her hands on her knees and wheezing. "Where is everybody?"

"No, Serena. Didn't you watch the news?" Amy asked, calm as always. Her cropped hair and blue eyes framed a kind face, a face Serena often turned to when everyone else chastised her. Amy was Sailor Mercury, the Scout of ice and wisdom.

"No… I was running late this morning…"

"Tokyo has been hit by a case of the flu or something." Mina informed her, giving a big smile. She was just excited there was no class. The Scout of love, Sailor Venus, hated school almost as much as Serena did. "So, they canceled."

"Really? Is it that serious?" Serena put on her serious face. When it came to others, Serena was second to none in caring for them.

"No one really knows what to do about it yet. According to my mother, the first case was reported only hours ago. Since them, it seems like it has spread like wildfire." Amy tapped her chin. This was most strange indeed. "Didn't you see everyone on the sidewalk?"

Serena gave a nervous smile. "Um… no…"

The Scout's collectively rolled their eyes at their leader. Typical Serena. However, there was not a thing this group of friends would not do for her. She was their life and their light. Serena was everything, whether they realized it or not.

"So, if school is canceled, why are you guys here?" Serena asked.

The group began walking towards the school's exit, seeing no one else save themselves. The brunette, Lita, or otherwise known as Sailor Jupiter, the Scout of lightening and protection, walked with her hands behind her head. She was tall, but beautiful, despite the fact she never gave herself enough credit.

"Don't you think it's a little strange that everyone is sick but us?" She prompted.

"Well, I never thought about it…"

"Or that this has spread in less than six hours?" Lita asked again.

"Er, no-"

However, when Serena walked outside, she did notice. There were people lying on the sidewalk, coughing and hacking. One man was struggling to breathe, a girl beside him silent and still. What in heavens name was going on? Serena raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes watering in response to the pain around her. How did she not see this before?

The group made a silent decision to head to Raye's shrine. They would find an answer there.

* * *

Raye dodged the bodies on the street, feeling almost guilty for leaving them there. She had seen the news and had known class was canceled, but she had to see the damage for herself. The fire had not shown her anything concerning an enemy last night, but this morning it was giving her warnings the moment she walked in the room. The shrine maiden was certain her comrades were heading to her home at this point to talk about this strange phenomenon, so she began to head back as well.

There was not another soul in sight. Well, anyone who was not comatose on the sidewalk. She held her arms and pressed forward, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was definitely not right, and if she were not careful she would fall victim next.

The group had not faced a threat since Galaxia and headed into their last semester of school with no looming danger. They figured that there would be no more fighting. The Scouts naively believed that Crystal Tokyo was just going to emerge one morning. There would be no more fights and no more villains. They would just have themselves. Sailor Mars, the Scout of Fire and War, would be put to rest.

For eternity.

Raye looked at her watch. She had left her grandfather alone for twenty minutes. He was not completely defeated by the mysterious illness, he only had a few coughs and sniffles, but Raye would not put it past this strange occurrence to act upon him quickly. Her grandpa was an aging man, one with hardly any time left to begin with, and if this new threat sped up his timeline she would be pissed. He was all she had left.

The steps of the shrine were within view and Raye almost sprinted to them. There was something inside her that kept her from doing so, however, and Raye stopped in her tracks. She brought a hand to her chest and clutched the fabric, a pain so intense ripping through her heart prompting her to do so. The young girl fell to the ground and pressed her hands to her chest. The feeling made her think that her heart was splitting in two.

She lifted her head slightly, seeing a figure down the sidewalk. He was walking towards her, slowly, and he looked almost disinterested. He was tall and wore red armor, a broadsword hung from his side. With each step he took the pain in Raye's chest increased, and when he was beside her she screamed. It felt as if her heart was being ripped from her chest.

When her friends found her on the sidewalk she was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Other Side of Darkness**

**Chapter Two**

She was around eight years old, wearing a pale red dress and slippers. Her dark hair fell down her back and around her face as she picked flowers, humming to herself as she worked. The picture moved like a dream, but Raye knew it was anything but. This was real. What she watched had happened at some point. Was this the Silver Millennium?

The weather was perfect. Although much of the landscape consisted of desert, the small garden behind the Martian palace was an oasis away from the arid and damning sand. The sky was red, the sand was red… the white columns of the palace were a stark difference to the crimson.

As Raye watched her younger self pick lilies, a boy walked up behind her. His hair was also black, like hers, and he wore a red tunic. The younger Raye smiled before ever turning around, as if she knew who the boy was before setting eyes on his face.

"Adelpho, have you seen these flowers before?"

Young Raye turned around and presented the white flowers. The boy shook his head, his hair hanging in his eyes.

"These are Casablanca Lilies. Father said that these came from Earth a long time ago…" Young Raye admired her bouquet. "These are my favorite flowers."

The young boy finally spoke. His voice was deep, even for one so young. "Why?"

"I dunno." Young Raye smiled at the bouquet. "I want to go put them on my mother's grave. Will you come with me?"

The boy nodded and reached for her hand. Young Raye accepted it, and it was then Raye woke up.

* * *

Mina flew back when Raye bolted from her place in the bed. She had been trying to pull her friends hair back out of her face when Raye decided to wake up. Raye looked around frantically before turning her gaze down to her hand, the same one that the young boy had held in her dream.

But, it wasn't a dream… it was real.

"Raye, are you alright?" Mina put a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder. "You scared us to death! We found you in the street-"

"Alone?" Raye asked.

Mina was sure she looked as confused as she felt. She fluffed her blonde hair and snorted. "Well, yes. Who else were you expecting?"

The rest of the team joined them in Raye's room. Serena almost killed herself getting to Raye, squeezing her friend until she was shoved away. Lita and Amy also took their places around her bed, watching her carefully as she scolded Serena.

"Raye, we were so worried! We thought you got sick."

"I'm fine, meatball head…" Raye pulled her hair up into a ponytail, finishing the job Mina had started. She was sweating like crazy, but from the dream or from passing out she didn't know. "I'm not sick."

"Then why did we find you in the street?" Lita rubbed her arms, cold despite the green sleeves donning her arms. This whole situation was very strange, and the fact that Raye was facedown in the street didn't exactly make her feel any better about it. "You were out cold."

Raye looked down at her hands. What exactly had happened? She remembered seeing the man with the sword. He had been walking past her when she passed out… Raye remembered her heart hurting to the point of causing a black out. It was almost as if he was trying to tear out her star seed, but he had just kept walking past her.

"It was a man…" Raye looked up to her friends. "He was in red armor and he had a sword…"

Amy looked Raye over and took her hands. She had noticed that Raye kept looking at them and fidgeting. She was surprised when Raye jerked them back, a guilty blush covering her face.

"You don't look like you've been in a fight, Raye." Amy, ever so perceptive, narrowed her eyes. She hadn't seen the girl so shaken since Galaxia. Something had happened, something larger than a fight. What had this mysterious man done to her?

"We didn't fight." Raye sighed. "I was walking back here when I had this feeling to stop. Then I saw him heading right for me. He was just walking, and he seemed completely indifferent to me being there. But, every time he took a step closer, I felt like my star seed was getting crushed. The pain hurt to the point of me passing out."

Lita noticed the embarrassed mumbling of the last words. Being a fighter by nature, Lita knew what it was like to lose without ever throwing a punch. The brunette Scout of Jupiter leaned her head slightly to glance out of the window. People were still lying in the street.

"So, he knocked you out literally just walking beside you?" Serena asked, not noticing how steam began to leak out of Raye's ears.

"If you must know, yes!"

Serena pulled out her cell phone and stepped into the hall. Darien needed to hear about this, even though the hospital was probably swarmed with patients.

"Well, we need to hunt down this asshole!" Lita punched her palm. "No one does this to innocents and gets away with it!"

"NO!" Raye surprised herself by how quickly she jumped out of the bed. Her hand flew to her chest, a dull ache still pulsing in her heart. Mina steadied her with a hand. "There is no way we could ever hope to win right now. Didn't you listen? He never even touched me and I was out for the count!"

Amy made Raye sit on the edge of the bed. "She's right. We need to try and figure out who they are and what they are trying to accomplish by wiping out the population of Tokyo."

"How do you suppose we do that just sitting here?" Lita quipped.

The room fell into silence. They didn't realize how completely unprepared for another enemy they were. If they went to fight this man in red, they would most assuredly be wiped out. If they sat and did nothing, all of these people in Tokyo afflicted with this illness would die. Raye pushed past her friends and grabbed her sweatshirt. Mina went to Raye's side, already knowing what she was going to do.

"I forbid it."

Raye snorted. "Right."

"No. I'm serious." Mina grabbed Raye's shoulder. "We just found you in the road. I'm not letting you go out there."

There were many sides to Mina Aino. The side most people knew was typically a bubbly mess, but she was a loveable mess. Then there was the side that they saw now, the leader. This Mina was all business. Raye brushed past the blonde and sat on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.

"Mina, I have already been weakened by this guy. I can feel his presence in my heart. It still aches." Raye looked to Lita for support. "Lita is right. We need to find out more about this enemy if we want to save all of these people. Grandpa is sick, and I'll be damned before I sit back and watch him die."

"Then why don't I go?" Mina challenged. "I haven't been weakened."

"But, I can _feel_ him. The closer I move to the door, the more my heart hearts. I know he is in that direction. I would rather go and keep one of you guys from being killed. What is better? One weak Sailor Scout or two?"

Amy shook her head. She didn't like this plan one bit. "I really think you should take someone with you. Maybe someone to hang back at a distance? What happens if you are killed or kidnapped?"

"I won't be." Raye shrugged.

"Kind of like you weren't passed out in the road?" Mina rolled her eyes. "One of us is going."

The room got silent. Raye knew she was being pigheaded, but something about this entire situation was very familiar to her. Why would she have a dream about herself in the Silver Millennium? Why would this new enemy trigger such memories? There was a pit deeper than Hell in her stomach. Something told her that by the end of this, whatever _this_ was, she wouldn't be the same.

Amy pulled her computer out of her purse. She brought it up; she might as well follow through. "I'll go. I have my supercomputer. That way I can run stats on him from a distance."

Serena was very flustered when she came back into the room. She looked at Raye in her sweatshirt and tennis shoes, and she knew there was nothing she could say to stop her. Amy stood beside Raye, checking her over one last time. Serena bit her lip.

"Darien said the hospital he is doing rotations at this week is swamped. He said people are dying left and right. I suppose since it isn't in Tokyo the other doctors aren't getting sick…" Serena shook her head. "This enemy isn't draining energy… it's killing people! It's killing people for the sake of killing."

"Or to draw us out." Mina mentioned.

Serena looked at Raye and Amy. "What's the plan?"

Amy opened her supercomputer. "I am going to follow Raye from a distance. She said that she can still feel the presence of the attacker and she thinks that she can find him again."

Serena looked fretful. "What do you plan on doing when you find him?"

Raye hadn't thought that far. "Don't worry about it. We will be back."

Serena, Lita, and Mina watched as Raye and Amy left the room. So many questions lingered, all of which had no answers in sight. Mina looked to her two comrades and grabbed Serena's hands.

"We need to go somewhere else. If they happen to get away, I don't want that man to follow Raye and Amy back here." Mina looked to Lita, who nodded in agreement. "I'm sure they are after you Serena, they always are."

Serena looked down at her feet, not paying much attention to where she was being lead. She didn't mean to always be the target.

* * *

Raye and Amy walked down the street, dodging the bodies lining the sidewalk. Amy was still very apprehensive about this plan, or lack thereof, and kept her computer running to scan anything suspicious. It had been so long since they had fought, it seemed. There was nothing they wanted more than peace. School had been just that- school. She had been able to study exclusively for her exit tests and college readiness exams. There was nothing standing in her way.

Until this little speed bump, of course.

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Amy asked, watching as Raye held a hand to her chest.

"To be honest? I have no idea. I just know that he can't get near Serena." Raye shook her head. "Amy, I have never felt anything so… terrible."

Amy didn't say anything. She knew that this couldn't go beyond them, because Raye wouldn't want any sympathy. Her personality didn't allow much time for it. She was so busy thinking that she almost didn't notice when Raye stopped. Amy put a hand on her shoulder, feeling the shuddering breaths wrack through her friend's body.

"Amy, he's close." She stood up tall, but the pain was evident on her face. "Go hide. Make sure you get a good read on him…"

Raye didn't want to finish the rest. She didn't want to tell Amy there might not be another chance.

The Scout of Mercury didn't need to be told twice. She nodded and retreated back into a nearby alley, watching as Raye continued to walk forward. Who was this man? Why was he killing everyone in Tokyo?

Raye looked up, waiting for the man to appear. She wouldn't walk any farther. It wasn't worth the risk of being too far from Amy's computer. She looked left and right, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey! I'm right here!" She cried, looking all around her. "I know you're here! I can feel it."

Raye forgot the pain, and all she felt was rage. What kind of monster would do this to innocent people? Not just one person, but wipe out a whole city? She snarled and kept looking around. He was here. She just knew he was.

She was right. However, there was someone else with him.

Her eyes widened. There were two of them?

The other man was a blonde, wearing pale robes and carrying a scythe. He looked the complete opposite of the man in red. One wore a smile and the other wore a scowl. Then, as soon as she saw them, the man in the pale robes disappeared, leaving her only with her original target.

The man in red locked his eyes on her, eyes of brilliant crimson. A black mark covered the left half of his face, swirling and stretching around his eyes and down his neck. He walked closer, and the pain came back. Raye didn't take her eyes off of him though. There was no way she was going to cower in the face of an enemy, especially after she most embarrassingly fainted before.

"I'm not afraid of you." She snarled. He walked closer, but the expression on his face never changed from indifference. "Why are you killing everyone? Why are you doing this?"

He walked closer, but she didn't pass out this time. She was ready.

"You know the whereabouts of the Silver Crystal."

It wasn't a question. Raye shuddered, but she wasn't frightened. There was something about him that was familiar. There was something about him that made her less afraid. However, the thought of him already knowing that she knew about the Silver Crystal was disconcerting.

"I will never tell you where it is." Raye shook her head. "The Crystal is good, it can never be used for evil."

The man was toe-to-toe with her now, his face only inches away from hers. Raye felt her chest ache with a pain she never felt, but he wasn't touching her. His eyes, red as the sands in her dream, pierced her soul like nothing before.

"Perhaps, my lady, you don't know how the Crystal was made."

Raye winced and hunched over. The man bent down to look in her eyes.

"Perhaps, you are protecting a legacy that needs no protection."

Amy ran to Raye's side moments later, the enemy nowhere to be seen. The Scout of Mars was sitting on the ground, tears running silently down her cheeks. As Amy asked her questions, she couldn't hear them. The only question she asked herself was where the Silver Crystal came from and why the man in red hated it so much.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Other Side of Darkness**

**Chapter Three**

_The wind was dry and warm, brushing her gown against her legs as she walked to the open balcony. Her room was laid bare by colonnades and sheer curtains, but the setting sun in the distance brought her forward to the edge of the terrace. She exhaled, watching as a black bird flew her way. A letter fell into her grasp as it passed, and as the bird flew away she muttered a silent prayer. _

_ Raye watched her younger self, probably fourteen, carefully pry open the letter, taking a seat on an elegant chase. Why was she dreaming about the Silver Millennium again? What were her dreams trying to tell her?_

_ She never got to read the letter, but one sentence whispered in the back of her mind. _

_ "They will kill your oldest and dearest friend."_

Raye jerked up from her bed, gasping for breath. Rain gently fell against her window, running in small rivers down the glass. She turned to the side of her bed and let her feet fall to the ground, her head sinking into her palms. Why was she having these dreams? They didn't make any sense.

The questions posed by the mysterious man in red had kept her up for the greater portion of the evening. Why would he ever suggest that the Silver Crystal was created using less than savory means? It was made with love and devotion. It was wielded with light and happiness. The Silver Millennium was a time of great prosperity.

Yet, she now had reason to doubt.

She hadn't told Amy what he said. What would she say? For some reason, Raye wasn't ready to tell any of her friends. The suggestion that Queen Selenity made something _evil_ was blasphemous enough. But, to spread the rumor was even worse.

The supercomputer told Amy that the man was human enough, but he was strong. There was nothing to even suggest why he caused her heart to ache. Serena and Mina proposed that it probably had something to do with her psychic abilities, and perhaps that was true. Lita wasn't so easy to convince, however, and remained open to more suggestions.

What was she supposed to make of the blonde with the man in red? He was smiling, but it was a deviant one. The thing that stumped her most was the fact that the man with the scythe didn't make her feel any differently. Wouldn't he have made her heart hurt worse? Shouldn't his presence, alongside the man in red, have killed her? Or wouldn't it have at least made her feel like dying?

She felt him. He was near.

Raye grabbed her transformation pen, but she already knew she wouldn't transform. Even if she did, what would be the point? Besides, she wanted to know more. The man in red would probably be more inclined to answer questions if she wasn't aiming a flaming arrow at his heart.

Instead, she figured she would pretend to be brave. She pulled on some cotton pants and a sweatshirt, smoothing her hair down with her fingers. Raye walked to the sliding door to her room, placing a soft hand on the wood. She could feel him on the other side.

She was surprised to see him wearing jeans and a jacket. What happened to his red armor? His eyes, burning red, didn't appear surprised to see her on the other side. Raye couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by his power, but she didn't back down.

"You knew I was coming." It was a statement, not a question.

Raye snorted. "How could I not when you are trying to rip my heart out? I can feel you coming from a mile a way."

He looked puzzled, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Can I come in?"

Raye frowned. "Why should I let you come in to my home? You're the enemy."

"Have you thought about what I said?" He ignored her claim altogether, brushing past her into the room. Raye growled and shut the door behind him.

Had she thought about it? Yes, of course she had. But, what was more puzzling to her at the moment was why he was here. He knew that Raye knew the location of the Silver Crystal, why not kill her? Why not torture her until she squealed?

"Maybe." Raye tried to feign indifference. "What does it matter? I know you're lying."

The man strode around the room, not facing her. The wooden floorboards creaked under his feet.

"I might not remember much about my past, but one thing I know is certain. The Silver Crystal is an evil artifact."

He looked extremely irritated. Raye didn't know why, perhaps it was her inability to believe him. But, she knew for a fact that she didn't like him in her house. Her heart ached. It hurt to the point of her having to sit on the edge of the bed, her breath labored. The man just stared at her.

"What is wrong with you?" He wasn't concerned, merely curious. "You said before that I was trying to rip out your heart, when I have done no such thing."

Raye frowned. "You're not doing this on purpose?"

The man stepped forward, but Raye returned his advance with a flinch. He seemed a little off put by her reaction, but stopped where he was. "I don't understand. Doing what?"

Raye grimaced. "My heart. It feels like you're crushing it. It's how I knew you were outside. It hurts worse when you are close by."

The man didn't know what to say to that. "My presence has never had that effect on anyone before."

Raye felt sweat lining her brow, but the longer he stood there, the less her heart pulsed in agony. She brushed her hair out of her face. This was most curious indeed. "I know you are the one causing this illness."

He snorted. "No, actually, one of my associates is responsible for the disease."

"Whatever." Raye rolled her eyes. "How about we make a deal?"

The man seemed indifferent to her words. He began striding around the room, looking at all of her things. He stopped at her transformation pen that sat on her dresser. She felt her breath hitch in her chest as he held it in his hands. He paused, looking at the symbol of Mars.

He stared at it for a long while before abruptly putting it down.

"A… a deal you said?" Raye noticed how his voice changed. "What do you propose?"

Truthfully, she had no idea what he would possibly want to make a deal for. Well, aside from the Silver Crystal. But, she couldn't give him that…

However…

"You said that you don't remember much about your past… do you mean the Silver Millennium?"

The man kept staring at her transformation pen. "Yes."

Raye bit her lip. "Well, truthfully, I don't remember much either. So, why don't you call off this mysterious illness?"

He switched his gaze to her- violet met red.

"What do I get in return?"

Raye sighed. "I will try to get our memories, your memories, of the Silver Millennium. Then you will see that your past wasn't a bad thing."

He was quiet for a long while. "I will give you a week."

Raye nodded. That wasn't long, but she would take what she could.

"Also, this needs to stay between us." He looked very serious. "I can't have word getting around that I am working for my own interests."

This was going to be hard to keep from the girls. "Fine. I won't tell. But, what do I call you?"

"You can call me War."

* * *

The next day things went back to normal. People weren't dropping dead on the streets or stumbling in their own vomit. The news was filled with confusion as the deadly illness suddenly went away. People were leaving the hospital in droves, claiming that they had never felt more normal. However, that didn't change the fact that hundreds were now dead and being prepared for burial.

The Scouts were completely puzzled, not particularly understanding their new enemy. However, they all looked to Raye for an explanation. She actually exchanged words with the man in red.

Amy was unsure of the exact contents of their dialogue, but she did know that Raye was uncomfortable with whatever it was he said. She claimed that he said nothing important, that he only wanted the Crystal. This for them was nothing new. Every enemy wanted the Silver Crystal. They all wanted to kidnap Serena and take the Silver Crystal for themselves, use it for world domination and all that. But, it was obvious to Amy that the man in red said something more than that. Raye was hiding something from them.

But, why?

She had no reason to hide anything. Besides, if it had to do with Serena, didn't they all have a right to hear what he said? If not, didn't Serena at least have that right? Amy's eyes flickered over to Raye, who sat quietly at the table in their usual meeting place- the temple. The Scout of Mars looked terribly tense sitting amongst them, spinning her coffee mug between her palms. None of the others seemed to notice her odd behavior, and continued talking about school resuming the following Monday.

"So, why would these creeps try to kill off Tokyo and then, for no reason, stop?" Lita changed the subject, looking over to Amy and Raye from her opposing place at the end of the table. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know. Surely they haven't given up." Mina looked to Amy. "So, the supercomputer got absolutely nothing off of him?"

"Nothing I haven't already told you." Amy sighed, sliding her eyes over to Raye. "I've told you guys everything I know."

Raye didn't miss this. She knew that it was wrong of her to keep information from them. But, another part of her wanted to decipher these dreams without her friends knowing. They were personal. There was something so familiar about them and it made her ache. She wasn't ready to share that with them yet.

She was also not ready to explain his late night visit either. She was also not able to tell them about the deal she made with War.

But, she supposed, it wouldn't be right to keep everything from them, especially Serena.

"I haven't been honest with you." Raye sighed. "The man in the red armor told me something about the crystal and why he wanted it."

Serena looked a little hurt, but didn't delve into it. Instead, she asked one simple question- "Why does he want it?"

Raye sighed. "He doesn't want to use it. He wants to destroy it. All of them do."

"Destroy it?" Lita asked, surprised for once at the tactics of their enemy. All of the other ones in the past have wanted to use it for themselves. "He wants to destroy the Silver Crystal?"

"That's what he said."

Mina, however, was worried about something else. "All of them? There is more than just the man in the red and the guy with the staff?"

"It was a scythe, Mina." Amy corrected. "I wonder if it is even possible to destroy the Crystal. It has shattered before when you have used it Serena, but it always came back."

"But, my question is why he would want to destroy it in the first place. I mean, wouldn't a real bad guy want to keep it, and you know, _use it_ to make himself more powerful?" Lita didn't understand the idea at all. "Did he say why?"

Raye shuddered. She would never forget what he said. The suggestion alone that the crystal was created with evil was hard enough to stomach, but the fact that he eluded to a Silver Millennium characterized by cruelty instead of happiness was almost enough reason to not say his words all together. However, Raye still felt terrible about not telling her friends this the first time, so she felt obligated to repeat them.

"When I told him I wouldn't tell him where the Crystal was, and even then the Crystal could only be used for good, he said that I didn't know how the Crystal was made." Raye looked down at the table. "He then suggested that I was protecting a legacy that didn't deserve the protection."

The room was quiet, until a loud, boisterous laugh from Mina that is. She smacked the table and snorted. "Right. He is just a stupid, bad guy that just believes whatever his master tells him."

"But," the quiet voice belonged to Serena. "He's right. Do we know how the Crystal was made? Do we know what happened in the Silver Millennium?"

Luna, who had been sitting ever so quietly on the couch behind them, chose to speak now. "The Silver Millennium was founded on goodness and happiness-"

"According to who, Luna?" Serena threw up her hands. It was clear to the group that this insinuation made their princess upset. She was speaking in a way so unlike her. "I mean, none of us have our memories. We remember parts, sure, but how do we know that the parts we remember are the ones that we are _supposed_ to remember?"

Lita patted Serena's shoulder from her seat. "Surely you don't believe that, Serena. We all know that the Silver Millennium was a time of prosperity and happiness for all of the planets."

She didn't seem convinced, by chose not to speak anymore. Instead, she sat quietly and didn't look at her friends. Luna left her place to console her princess, prompting Artemis to join his charge instead of lazing. Amy soon felt eyes on her, and felt compelled to speak.

"I think that it would be wise, at this point, to not assume anything." Amy sighed. "We have been told that the Silver Millennium was a wonderful time, but the fact is, we don't know for sure. However, we do know that we must protect the Crystal no matter what."

Raye looked over at the forlorn Serena. They had to protect the Crystal, and Serena, no matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Other Side of Darkness**

**Chapter Four**

There was nothing more frustrating to her than missing a sale.

Mina glared at the sign hanging in the window, watching a woman remove a beautiful pair of shoes from the display. They were gold, and from her place on the sidewalk she could see the metallic sheen glisten from the sun. Mina composed herself. The sale had just ended, so perhaps she could still talk them into selling her the flats for half-price.

She didn't really know why she wanted them so much, but something about them just said _Mina_ to her.

More than that, they said _Venus_.

The blonde strode inside the boutique, her sandals slapping the tile floor. It might be chilly still from winter, but Mina liked to pretend that it was an April afternoon instead of a February one. Spring was her second favorite season, behind summer of course. Bikini weather was her type of weather.

When she approached the counter, her shoes were perched precariously on the edge, as if they were about to make the plunge and become sixty-dollar shoes instead of thirty. She stood on her tiptoes, watching the box balance as the employee behind the counter came to assist her.

"How may I help you?" It was the same lady that took the shoes out of the display window. She looked rather smug as she trailed Mina's gaze to the shoes. "Our sale ended five minutes ago."

The Scout of Venus sighed. "I know. But, you see, I really want those shoes there."

"Well, people in Hell want ice water." She chirped. "They became full price as of two o'clock."

Mina almost had to pick her jaw off the floor in response to the woman's rudeness. She turned around, looking for a reason to explain why she had to have them. Then she saw him. A brown head of hair atop wide shoulders and a long pair of legs stood out it the street, his back to the window. He looked handsome enough from behind.

"That guy is really cute and I want to impress him for our date. Those shoes would look just perfect with my outfit." Mina out on the best pouting-face she could.

The woman ruffled her mousy hair. "Then you will have to pay full price. If I let you break the rules, I would have to let everyone else."

In defeat, Mina trudged out of the store. What a complete waste of a Saturday! She rode the bus over to this part of town just for that sale and those stupid shoes, and she was late and could not buy them with the forty-dollars in her wallet. She had made plans to eat dinner with the girls at six, so now she had three hours to kill and no new shoes to show for it.

"So, you were going to buy some shoes for our date, huh?"

Mina whipped around, coming face to face with the brown head of hair she had spotted in the window. She felt heat rise to her cheeks when they locked eyes, embarrassed at getting caught. It didn't help that the man was drop-dead gorgeous either.

However, those eyes were familiar.

Mina began fiddling with her hair, blonde strands falling betwixt her fingers. "You heard that from outside?"

The man smiled a little bit, but it quickly disappeared. "I have really good hearing."

"Apparently," Mina sighed, trying to fight off the embarrassment. Oh, she truly wanted to die! "Well, now that I am thoroughly embarrassed, I'm going to go."

"Actually," the man stroked his stubble-covered chin. "I am new to the area. Perhaps you could show me around."

Mina blinked. Did this incredibly handsome man just ask _her_ to hang out with him? No. Freaking. Way.

She smiled and mustered up her normal Mina mannerisms and smile. "Alright, let's go have a tour."

He nodded and made to leave, but Mina stopped him.

"Don't you want to know my name?"

The brunette looked confused. "Sure."

"My name is Mina." He went to walk again, but Mina placed a hand on his arm. "Don't I get to know your name? You know, so we aren't complete strangers?"

If asked to describe his reaction, Mina wasn't quite sure that she would be able to. It was a strange mix between confusion and panic, perhaps with a little sadness. She left her hand on his arm however, watching as his face contorted between a frown and listlessness.

She watched as he mumbled something, but she didn't hear it.

"What did you say?"

The man looked up, his looking so startled that Mina was afraid he saw a monster or something.

"Bacchus… my name is Bacchus."

As if it were some great revelation, the man broke into a smile. Mina was confused, but she wasn't going to let that mess this up. He was way too cute.

So, the pair went along their tour. Mina chattered up a storm, not noticing that the man kept staring off into nothing as she pointed out stores and landmarks. She didn't know that Bacchus had not remembered his name until that moment. She didn't know that she was escorting Pestilence around the newly healed city of Tokyo.

* * *

"She is so dead." Raye looked at her watch. Mina was twenty minutes late. "I think Amy and I are the only ones that make it anywhere on time."

Lita, who was lounging in the booth beside the Scout of Mars, rolled her eyes in response. "I was like two minutes late."

"And I was _not_ the last one here for once." Serena slurped on her soda. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, so it was obvious to her friends that the blonde lost track of time and ran over in whatever she was wearing. The restaurant they were eating at had a pretty strict dress code, and the fact Serena got in was a miracle.

Amy, who had chosen not to partake in the argument, tried to ignore the grumbling of her stomach. She was hungry, and she really wished that Mina would hurry up and arrive so they could eat. The abrupt end to the mysterious plague had been bothering her, and the lack of further appearance of the enemy was also worrisome. Who were they, and why did they want the Crystal?

She suddenly stopped breathing. Why didn't she think of it earlier?

"Guys-"

However, Mina took that particular moment to arrive in a flurry of blue heels and golden curls. Amy could have sworn that fire was shooting out of Raye's ears, but Mina didn't seem to notice. Instead, the blonde took a seat beside the fuming Scout and fluffed her hair.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." Mina grabbed Raye's water and took a drink. "I was showing someone around town."

"So, was he cute?" Lita asked from the other side of Raye, leaning over her to get the juicy details from Mina.

"Unbelievably!"

The waitress came over and took their food orders and brought a water for Mina. They were still getting the details on Mina's afternoon stroll when Amy interrupted them, unable to wait for such a meaningless conversation to end.

"I just had a thought about our new…." Amy looked around, regarding the other restaurant patrons around them. "Friends."

Serena had to kick Mina under the table to get her to stop thinking about her new guy and focus on business. Who would have thought she would be so leader-like?

"If they want to destroy the Crystal and they are making claims that it was _made_ in an evil way… that would mean that they were there." Amy watched as her friends were connecting the dots. "You know, during the Silver Millennium."

Lita looked down at the table. She really wanted to know more about the Silver Millennium. For whatever reason, she always liked to think that she had something then. Not necessarily a whirlwind romance like Serena and Darien, but maybe she had a family. Maybe she had a mom and dad that loved her more than anything else in the whole galaxy.

Maybe she had more than she did here.

"You know, maybe not all of them were there, but just the person in charge." Mina offered.

"Is the man in the red armor the one in charge?" Serena asked Raye.

"No, I don't think so." Raye couldn't tell them about her deal with War. He might kill her, or worse, her friends. There was no doubt that he was capable of doing it either. She knew that he was there during the Silver Millennium, but she had no way of telling her friends at this point. "The way he spoke indicated to me that he wasn't in charge."

Lita was swirling her straw around in her glass. "Do you think that they remember it? You know, what it was like?"

There was a hint of longing in her voice. A part of all of them wanted to know what it was like. Was the Silver Millennium better than their present? Was life easier?

Did they have someone to share their life with?

They didn't have much time to think about it though, because the moment Serena saw their food emerge from the kitchen with their waitress, the glass from the street window burst into the restaurant. The people sitting beside the window were promptly knocked out on the floor, blood pooling by their still bodies. People began to scatter, running to the emergency exit.

Amy had shoved Serena down under the table when the explosion occurred. Mina and Raye, both wearing stilettos and knee-length dresses, stood up to the monster while Lita and Amy pulled Serena from underneath the table to go transform in the back. Mina looked over to Raye, knowing they had to distract the monster while the others transformed. People were still screaming and paralyzed from fear, so transforming there was out of the question.

The monster was very unlike any of the monsters they had fought in the past. It was slimy and leathery in appearance, resembling a gargoyle with a pair of wings and a mouth full of teeth. It screeched and pounced, slamming Mina into the ground. The Scout of Venus gritted her teeth, trying her best to ignore the piercing pain in the back of her skull. Her arms wrestled the gargoyle-like monster's face away, trying to keep it from eating her face.

"Get off me!" It snapped its teeth in response. She was beginning to have issues fending it off, but suddenly the force of a chair busting over the monster caused it to recoil and attack Raye instead. It grabbed her wrist in its mouth as she tried to ready an ofuda scroll, which effectively stopped that attack.

Raye screamed, trying to wrench her arm out of the monsters teeth. Blood was pouring everywhere, but in a fit of rage she managed to grab a broken leg of the chair she broke on him before and ram it into the monsters eye. He dropped her arm and howled in pain.

Much to their dismay, another gargoyle flew into the restaurant. Mina ducked, watching as the gargoyle flew over her and into the bar. The crash sent liquor bottles flying into the air and smashing onto the tile floor.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

A slew of lightening bolts crashed into the monster that Raye stabbed in the eye, sending it through the wall and onto the street. Mina and Raye smiled in relief as Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Mercury arrived on the scene. Mina took that as her cue to leave the area and transform, but Raye found herself unable to move. Her arm was still bleeding heavily.

She passed out, slouched against the wall.

The gargoyle that crashed into the bar leaped at Sailor Jupiter, but Sailor Mercury acted fast. She sent water careening into the monster, knocking it away from her friend. Her eyes darted around. What were the monsters after?

"Give ussss…. Ssssailor Moon…" The gargoyle sent into the street by Jupiter was back. Its voice was gravely, sending chills down her spine.

"Never!" Sailor Venus leapt into action. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

The monster breaking the brick wall sent up a wall of dust, and it was through the wall of dust that they saw the outline of a man. It wasn't the man in the red armor this time. It was a man they had never seen before. He had long, dark hair and a set of scales in his hands.

Famine.

"Give me the one called Sailor Moon." The man barked. He wore a black shroud and his hands were pale. "Give me the daughter of the whore, Selenity!"

"We would _never_ give her to you!" Sailor Jupiter growled. "Just leave before I kill you!"

Sailor Moon pushed Jupiter's arm down and stepped forward. "What do you want? Why do you want me?"

The man snarled, his two gargoyles standing loyally beside him. "I want the Silver Crystal. I want you to suffer as I have suffered."

Sailor Moon, forever the kind soul, stepped closer. "I don't understand. The Crystal is used for good… it would never cause you suffering-"

"It has caused me every misery I have ever known!" The man was angry, very angry. The gargoyle missing an eye jumped closer to Sailor Moon, who stepped back. "Give me the Crystal, or I will bring a despair worse than death upon this town!"

Sailor Mercury pushed Sailor Moon behind her. "We will never surrender the Crystal to the likes of you!"

He smiled evilly. "Very well. Remember, what is to come could have been prevented if you had only _listened_."

The cloaked man vanished, his two monsters with him.

Sailor Mercury looked around, a few civilians staring at them. She could see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes. "Guys, we need to leave. We can talk later."

"Right." The made the leave the restaurant, but Sailor Moon stopped in her tracks. "Wait, where's Mars?"

In the heat of the battle, none of the Scouts had realized that Raye never transformed. Mina looked over to a puddle of blood on the floor, remembering the gargoyle clamping his mouth on Raye's arm. It had ripped her wrist to shreds. "Shit. We need to find her. That monster all but tore her hand off."

The Scouts scattered. They needed to find Raye and fast.

* * *

"_You just can't kill him. I won't let you." _

"_Princess Mars, don't you want to help the Alliance?"_

"_You are no daughter of mine."_

"_I will never leave you."_

Raye gasped as she opened her eyes. She was lying on a bench in the park. She remembered her wrist, but when she looked at it, all that remained of the gargoyle attack was a cluster of scars. Raye looked around, finding a surprising visitor staring at a tree standing over the bench.

He was wearing a jacket and jeans, a pair of black shoes on his feet. It was odd to her that a bad guy was going out of his way to appear normal, but she supposed that if he strode around in red armor he would stick out a little. Raye swung her legs over the side of the bench, watching him as he stared at the tree. The pain in her heart was less than before, even though he was only feet away from her.

"How are you feeling?"

Raye turned her wrist around in her lap. She had bloodstains on her legs and the white fabric of her top. "Fine."

"Hm." War strolled over to the bench and took a seat beside her.

Raye watched him warily. "Why did you save me?"

His red eyes locked with her violet ones. He shrugged. "I want to know about the Silver Millennium. We still have our deal."

"Right. Our deal." Raye sighed. "I'm trying to get memories, but every time I ask the great fire I don't get any leads."

War never seemed to be paying attention to what she said, but he always did have a response. "You have nothing."

"No." Raye challenged. "I'm having these strange dreams. I received a letter saying that someone wanted to kill my best friend when I was standing on a terrace. This person called Adelpho keeps coming up-"

"Adelpho, you say?" He rubbed his chin. "That sounds familiar."

Raye watched him. "How so?"

"It just does." War turned his head, looking off into the street. His black hair hung in his eyes. "Your friends are coming."

Raye turned to look into the street, but when she turned back he was gone.

* * *

Mina was so sore and tired. That gargoyle really did a number on her. She had a splitting headache and her wrists hurt from fighting his mouth away from her face. The blonde carried her stilettos on her fingertips and her bare feet slapped the sidewalk. Today had been a day.

She had found Raye at the park, sitting on the bench alone and her wrist completely healed. Raye had said she didn't know who saved her, but she was just thankful that her wrist was healed. A wound like that could have killed her, or left her without a hand.

All she could think about at this point was the threat the man from the restaurant made. What could he possibly do to Tokyo that was worse than that plague? Mina shook her head. Did they just set up the innocent civilians for something unbearable?

What would have been the other choice? They obviously couldn't give him the Crystal.

After the fight, all of them had met up at the shrine. It was unanimous that they needed to get their memories, but none of them had any idea how they would get them. Raye had been trying to consult the fire, but she had come up with nothing. Maybe Luna or Artemis would have a suggestion. They had dealt with memories before.

Mina finally reached her house. She pushed back the gate and clomped up the steps to her home. The girl was so tired she almost didn't notice the small box on her porch. It was small and blue, about the size of a shoe box.

It was a shoe box.

The golden flats from the boutique were nestled safely inside. However, they were not alone. A piece of paper was wedged between them. She pulled it apart and was surprised to find the prettiest handwriting she had ever seen.

_Thank you for helping me remember._

_-Bacchus _

Mina dropped the note and put a hand over her mouth.

Remember what?


	5. Chapter 5

**The Other Side of Darkness**

**Chapter Five**

Serena groaned as she pulled herself out of bed. Going back to school was a real drag. She was just glad this was her last year. Luna was already awake, watching her as she pulled a uniform out of her closet. The cat tried her hardest to make sure she was on time, but it rarely happened.

She was a little disappointed to not smell any breakfast, but she supposed that cereal would be fine. But, she did always enjoy her mom's omelets. Those made her school days much more bearable.

The teenage superhero hopped in the shower. She was excited for the coming weekend because she would finally get to see Darien. He had been so busy on his hospital rotations that she hadn't seen him in weeks. They already made plans to go on a fancy dinner date and maybe see a movie.

However, with all the craziness going on, Serena wasn't so sure that going on a date was the best idea. But, Mina convinced her that she shouldn't let some stupid bad guys ruin her weekend or her relationship. Serena knew she was right. But, it felt wrong to be enjoying herself when the rest of Tokyo was in danger.

She got lost in her thoughts and found herself running late again. Serena put her uniform on as fast as she could and put her hair up into her trademark pigtails. She clomped down the stairs and into the kitchen, watching as her mother went through their pantry in a panic.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Irene Tsukino looked very worried. "I…I don't know what's wrong with our food… It's like it all went bad over night."

"What do you mean?" Serena began to panic. No food? No BREAKFAST?

Irene pulled a can out of the pantry and opened it, almost retching as the foulest odor Serena had ever smelt came from the green beans. They were brown and molded. Serena went and grabbed a box of cereal, dumping it onto the counter

They were brown, molded flakes.

"What is going on?" Serena felt tears emerge in the corners of her eyes. "I don't get to eat any breakfast?"

Sammy soon joined them, dismayed at the smell. "What is that terrible smell? Is that you, Serena?"

"As if!" Serena screeched. "You are such a brat!"

Irene began pulling more food out of the pantry. All of it was bad. She went to the freezer and it was the same story. Serena and Sammy were told to leave eventually. They were going to be late for school. The two Tsukino children ran to their respective schools, their stomachs growling at them for the lack of food.

Serena was late, but she wasn't the only one. A lot of students were walking in late. The blonde spotted Lita and Mina sitting on the steps, waiting in line to get tardy slips for class. She slinked her way into the line beside her friends, holding her hungry stomach and feeling sorry for herself.

"Why is everyone late?" Serena blushed at a loud growl from her stomach.

Lita and Mina looked at each other. Lita spoke.

"Probably the same reason you are. No one had any good food to eat for breakfast and tried to stop and get some. The food at the store is bad too."

Serena began to sniffle, the tears from earlier emerging once again. All of the food was bad? "You mean there is no good food in town?"

"No food." Mina frowned. "It is all bad."

Serena gave them a look. "You don't think…"

"Yep. It was that creepy guy with the gargoyles." Mina shivered at the memory. "I don't know what we are going to do. There is _nothing_ to eat anywhere."

The Scout of love and justice sighed and touched her brooch. The man that barged in the restaurant last night wanted the Silver Crystal so bad. He hated it. Perhaps if it were so evil, it wouldn't be such a terrible thing to let them destroy it.

No, she couldn't think like that.

"Well, we obviously can't give them the Crystal." Lita huffed. She was upset that this was going to cut in to her baking time. But, she also couldn't stop thinking about the complete rage she saw in that man's eyes either. "So, what should we do?"

"I don't know. I mean they just show up at random times. We can't just seek them out." Mina looked behind her, seeing that the line was starting to walk toward the gates leaving the school. She watched as students and teachers alike began to leave. Amy was among them and stopped at the steps. "Where is everyone going, Ames?"

"Home. The school can't require us to be here because they have no food to feed the students for lunch." Amy was so disappointed. She was going to be behind. They already missed so much school when the disease struck.

Amy loved learning. She went and checked out books on her own just to learn about topics she enjoyed. There wasn't a subject in school that she outright hated (although, some teachers were more exciting than others). But, not having school for over a week, and now leaving school this morning for an undetermined amount of time was incredibly frustrating for the blue-haired girl. Why did the enemy always have to interfere with her schooling?

"At least we don't have school." Serena sighed. "But, I'm about to go eat some leaves if we can't land something to eat."

The girls began walking to the shrine. That was the place they always congregated should something arise. Raye's grandpa always gave them space, although he did enjoy their company. However, he still hadn't quite gotten over the mysterious plague. It had knocked out his immune system significantly and he could hardly get out of bed.

The quartet was greeted by Raye sitting on the steps leading up to the shrine. She was wearing her school uniform, so she had been sent home as well it seemed. Mina noticed a frown on the girls face, but she attributed it to being hungry.

"No school for you either, huh?" Raye frowned. "This is low."

"No kidding." Lita agreed. They all started climbing the steps.

"Luna and Artemis are already here. They came over this morning before I left for school." Raye noticed the confusion on Serena and Mina's faces. "I don't think you understand just how quick they are."

"Apparently." Mina rolled her eyes.

The girls all went inside the temple, moving towards their usual meeting place. Raye went to go check on her grandfather while they all made themselves comfortable. Luna and Artemis took a place on the center of the table, watching as the girls twisted in discomfort because they were hungry. Their food hadn't been touched, thankfully, but they hated seeing the girls starve.

Raye soon joined them and they all just stared. What could any of them possibly do? All of the food in town was bad. There was nothing to eat. The civilians of Tokyo were all going to starve to death if they didn't do something. Darien had called and said that there were several patients at his hospital who were on strict diets and that something needed to be done soon.

"We need our memories." Raye looked directly at Luna and Artemis. "You two have to know something about getting them back."

The two cats looked at each other before looking back to Raye. Luna spoke up first. "We have no idea how to access the memories. We have tried to contact Setsuna and the Outers, but they have not responded to any of our attempts."

"Do you know why?" Serena was concerned. "Are they alright?"

"We don't know." Artemis shook his head. "They travel a lot, so perhaps they are just busy."

Mina looked over to Raye. "What about the fire? Has it told you anything?"

She shook her head. It was so incredibly frustrating. The fire had shown her _nothing_. Raye turned her scarred wrist over in her hand, thinking about War. She didn't have much longer to get the memories before their deal was broken.

"No." Raye sighed. "But, I am willing to bet that the guy with the gargoyles will attack again soon."

"He will want us to suffer first." Lita spat. "He will want us to be at our weakest when he strikes."

The girls all nodded in agreement. It would be a few days before they saw the man again, and when they did, they would be dying of starvation.

* * *

The dark abyss that housed the Horseman was similar to that of their Dark Kingdom predecessors. It was a wet cave, lit by torches, and crawling with monsters. War found himself sitting against the wall of the cave, ignoring the hiss of the monsters caged within the walls. He couldn't stop thinking about the symbol on that girl's strange pen. It looked so unbearably familiar he could hardly stand it.

Then, to make matters more confusing, she mentioned the name Adelpho last night in the park. It was so familiar it made him sick. She did see something. She _saw_ things in her dreams. Why couldn't he?

Lillith was pleased at the moment, but he had yet to hear why. She just flitted around like she was happy. As far as bosses went, Lillith wasn't too bad. A little moody, perhaps, but not cruel… at least to them.

War felt someone near him. He didn't even have to look to know it was Pestilence. He was always quiet and very light on his feet.

War stood to his feet, his armor scraping the rocks behind him. He wanted to be out. He wanted to be searching. But, for what? What did he look for? Surely there was something that would jog his memory. There had to be some way to get his memories back.

He didn't know what it was, but something in his heart told him that he wasn't always… _this_. He was something better than this. Hell, maybe he was happy. But, all he knew was that Lillith was lying to them, or at least to him. He hadn't always been War.

"Famine has struck… turned all the food in Tokyo to a molding mess." Pestilence thought back to the blonde girl he met. What was her name? Mina? "Poor city is starved."

War raised an eyebrow. "Poor?"

Pestilence realized his mistake. Instead of correcting himself, however, he shrugged. "I am a little unsure of this mission."

War had been too. But, he wasn't quite ready to voice it. "Why is that?"

Pestilence adjusted his white robes, his bow and quiver of arrows shifting on his back. "Perhaps this would be better spoken above."

War understood.

Moments later, the two horsemen found themselves standing in the park, wearing clothes no one would think suspicious. War placed his hands in his pockets, watching as Pestilence strolled over to a bench. It was the same bench that he had lain the girl on the night before. Taking his lead, War took a seat beside him.

The park was filled with students. Both men scanned the crowd for a girl, but neither of them found what they were looking for. Pestilence sighed.

"Lillith tells us that the Crystal did this to us." He pulled up his sleeve, a black mark traveling up his arm. It swirled around his fingers and his wrist. "She said that they Crystal is what turned us into this… but, is it?"

War shrugged, thinking about the mark spanning his face. Its tendrils twisted around an eye and crossed his nose, making him look as if he were half-scarred and half-pure.

Perhaps he was.

"All we have is Lillith's word." He grunted. "Unlike her, we don't remember the Silver Millennium."

"I don't…" Pestilence fought a smile. "Or at least… I didn't."

War couldn't help himself. He turned his head so fast that Pestilence thought it'd pop clean off. He stared at his comrade. "You remember?"

"No, not all of it." He looked off into the park, watching as two boys threw a baseball. "I just remembered my name."

War was shocked, to say the least. "Name?"

Pestilence looked down at his hands, which rested on his knees. "My name… is Bacchus."

"Bacchus…" War found the name familiar. But, his own jealousy kept him from smiling. A name. Something as simple as a name kept him one-step further from his past. "My I ask, Bacchus, how you learned this?"

Bacchus smiled, thinking back to blue eyes and golden shoes. "A girl I met asked me my name, and I remembered. It was if I never forgot."

A girl. A girl helped him remember. A girl and a name. War had a girl, but she had yet to produce a name.

Wait-

"Adelpho…." War opened his eyes. That girl had told him the name 'Adelpho'. Was that his name? Did she tell him an answer? Bacchus didn't seem to hear him. "Have you spoken to that girl again?"

Bacchus couldn't keep from smiling. War tried to ignore it. "No, I haven't. Didn't think Lillith would be too pleased. Besides, I didn't think any of you would be interested in the Silver Millennium."

War sat and watched the children play, but his mind was elsewhere. He needed to get to… whatever her name was. If Adelpho was his name, he wanted to know everything she had seen about him. "I am very interested, Bacchus."

It was strange, knowing that his longtime comrade had a name. _Bacchus_.

"I have a deal with a girl who claims to have been in the Silver Millennium. I am willing to bet they are friends." War frowned. "Possibly even those Sailor Scouts."

* * *

Raye sat in front of the fire, her legs crossed with her hands relaxed on her knees. She had been meditating for hours, but the constant grumbling of her stomach and the checks on her grandfather were really stalling the process. With a frustrated groan she opened her eyes, staring into the flames that eluded her. Why wouldn't the fire tell her anything?

She felt a familiar twinge in her chest. In the beginning, War's presence almost killed her. Now, she was accustomed to his appearing at will and hardly noticed him. She pushed herself off the ground and walked out of the room, strolling down the halls to the shrine entrance. There he was, against the dark of night, sitting on the highest step of the long stair down to the street.

There was something different about him. He wasn't as confident in demeanor as she usually saw him. Rather, his head was tilted down towards the ground, and his shoulders were sloped as if a hundred pounds sat on each one. Raye felt her eyebrows nit together. What could a monster be so sad about?

Did they even have feelings?

She walked slowly toward him, but when he didn't turn around she felt it would be all right to advance further. Raye took a seat beside him, looking forward into the dark night, watching the stars twinkle above the starving city of Tokyo. Her own stomach growled in protest, but she ignored it. It had been two days since she had eaten.

Then, when she didn't expect it, War held out an apple, his eyes not leaving the ground.

It was red, a brilliant red. She could tell it was delicious, just from the sheen. She could taste it already. But, instead of taking a bite, she took it and ran to the house. War never looked back.

Raye threw open the cutlery drawer and began slicing the apple. Grandpa needed it. He wouldn't last much longer without it. She began dicing the pieces of apple into more manageable pieces and filled a glass of water from the sink. She couldn't get to her grandfather's room fast enough.

He was awake, weak from the lack of food and hardly able to move a muscle. He didn't argue when Raye began pieces of the apple in his mouth, and he swore nothing ever tasted so good.

"Where… did you get this?" He tried to push himself up in bed, but he failed. Raye held the glass up to his lips and watched him drink. "Raye, you should…"

"I'll be fine." She gave him the last of the apple. Really, she didn't know if she would be fine or not. She was awfully hungry. But, grandpa didn't need to know that.

She kissed his forehead and tucked him in, watching as he closed his eyes and went to sleep. He was so small and frail, weary from the years of working in the shrine. Raye smiled and closed the door, leaving the plate on the kitchen counter and walking back outside.

War still sat there, his head still down. Raye took her seat again, her arms wrapped around her legs and knees to her chest. War finally turned his head, his red eyes watching as she stared into the distance.

"What'd you do with that apple?" He asked.

"My grandfather needed it more than me." Raye put her head on her knees and looked over at him, violet eyes colliding with red. "He's dying. He needed it."

War nodded. "Dying… I wonder what it's like to die."

"It depends, I would think." Raye found herself say. "But, every time I have died I was killed."

"By who?"

"People like you." Raye was angry. She was so angry. She didn't really know why it hit her like this. Maybe it was the sight of her grandfather. Maybe it was watching him die. "People who think they can come and destroy _everything_ because they can."

Raye got up from her place on the ground.

"You might as well just kill me know. I can't find your memories and I will be damned if I watch him die."

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand. His hand was rough, but it was familiar.

"I am not killing him."

She jerked her hand away. "But, you are! You are working for the same person who did this!"

"I didn't do this." He threw his arms back. "I have done none of this. I just want to remember who I was-"

Raye walked up closer to him, only inches from his chest. "What good is the past if you are destroying everything in the present? I've tried looking for our memories, I've tried. But, nothing makes any sense!"

War grabbed her arms, trying to get her to calm down. She looked ready to tear off his head, but he held up a hand to pause her.

"I want to know what you have seen about Adelpho."

Raye shook his hand off of her. "Why?"

He looked pleadingly into her eyes, and she saw the desperation. It was the same desperation in hers.

"I think Adelpho is me."


End file.
